1. Field of the Invention
Vaginal contraceptives in the form of spermicides have been used for over 3800 years. Ancient vaginal contraceptives were often highly acidic substances carried by a pasty or sticky base and had some effect in immobilizing sperm. Presently, spermicides are available in various forms such as creams, foams, jellies, foaming tablets, suppositories, and films. However, all of these spermicides, regardless of their form, suffer from the same primary disadvantage of being difficult to properly distribute within the vagina, especially near the cervix. Further, the spermicides are often messy, have a tendency to run out of the vagina when the user is standing and often are not readily acceptable for use because their application usually interrupts the normal flow of events. They generally do not heighten, but rather diminish, the pleasurable aspects flowing from such physical activity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pessaries are used either to support the interior walls of the vagina or as a contraceptive to cover the cervix of the uterus. When used as a contraceptive, pessaries typically takes the form of a domed diaphragm for the application of a spermicide. An example of a domed contraceptive pessary is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,598. Pessaries intended to support the vaginal walls must be stiff enough to provide the mechanical support needed. Such a support pessary is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,495. As noted in such patent, resilient metallic springs are generally required to produce a pessary which is sufficiently stiff as well as resilient to provide the required mechanical support. Other U.S. patents which may be of interest are Nos. 2,141,040; 2,580,133; 3,216,422; 3,983,874; 3,995,663; and 4,093,490.